This invention relates generally to the art of gas cylinders, or tanks, and more specifically to methods and devices for disposing of, or recycling, gas cylinders.
Disposal of hazardous waste is currently regulated in the U.S. by the Resource Conservation And Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976. Many other developed countries have similar legislation. These laws attempt to control hazardous waste from "Cradle to Grave." One of the items classified as "hazardous-waste" under the RCRA is "contained gas." Thus, gas tanks, or cylinders, which have been used to store, propane, mapp, or oxygen gases, for example, are classified as hazardous waste and they retain this classification until it can be clearly shown that they no longer contain hazardous waste. For this reason, waste handlers charge large fees for disposing of substantially exhausted small propane tanks, for example. In this regard, many companies which regularly use propane gas pay as much as $35.00 per exhausted tank simply to dispose of them. It should be noted that although old gas tanks cannot normally be reused, the material from which they are made, often steel, can be recycled. Notwithstanding this, because they still may contain hazardous waste, waste handlers charge large fees for their disposal.
If users of propane tanks, and waste handlers, could readily, and visually, ascertain that exhausted tanks no longer contain gas, and that it is not possible that they could hold gas, the tanks could be easily and economically disposed of and recycled as scrap steel.
Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a gas tank evacuator for not only safely evaluating contents of gas tanks, that is for draining residue gases from them, but also for preparing the gas tanks so that it can be clearly and visibly ascertained that they cannot possibly contain hazardous gases.
It is also an object of this invention to provide such a gas tank evacuator which can be employed by users of gas tanks, such as companies which employ large numbers of propane tanks, rather than only by waste handlers.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a gas tank evacuator which is highly portable, but which can be used either as a table-mounted unit or as a hand-held unit.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a gas tank evacuator which takes very little strength or dexterity to operate and which is uncomplicated and relatively inexpensive in structure.
Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide a method of preparing gas tanks for their disposal which is inexpensive but yet effectively communicates to others a disarmed nature of such thusly prepared gas tanks.